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Tuesday, January 6, 2015

Author: Jennifer RobsonTitle: After The War Is OverPublisher: William MorrowPublish Date: Jan 6, 2015Buy: Amazon

Book Blurb:

After four years as a military nurse, Charlotte Brown is ready to leave behind the devastation of the Great War. The daughter of a vicar, she has always been determined to dedicate her life to helping others. Moving to busy Liverpool, she throws herself into her work with those most in need, only tearing herself away for the lively dinners she enjoys with the women at her boarding house.

Just as Charlotte begins to settle into her new circumstances, two messages arrive that will change her life. One, from a radical young newspaper editor, offers her a chance to speak out for those who cannot. The other pulls her back to her past, and to a man she has tried, and failed, to forget.

Edward Neville-Ashford, her former employer and the brother of Charlotte’s dearest friend, is now the new Earl of Cumberland—and a shadow of the man he once was. Yet under his battle wounds and haunted eyes Charlotte sees glimpses of the charming boy who long ago claimed her foolish heart. She wants to help him, but dare she risk her future for a man who can never be hers?

As Britain seethes with unrest and post-war euphoria flattens into bitter disappointment, Charlotte must confront long-held insecurities to find her true voice . . . and the courage to decide if the life she has created is the one she truly wants

Review: This book is a continuation of Robson's Somewhere In France novel, though this book can be read as a stand a lone. (I really want to read Somewhere In France now). It takes place after the Great War, which is one of my favorite periods in history.

This is a stunning novel that details Charlotte's life. How she came to be Lily's governess and her connection with Edward.(So though you might not have read the first book, You get a touch of suffrage as well as the upstairs downstairs aspect brought about by Charlotte being Lilly's governess.

Charlotte can best be described as a do-gooder. She wants to fix the world and sometimes she comes across as a bit holier than thou, but she is very likable. She is a hard worker and that's part of why you like her.

The story is also a bit of a romance, a'la Downton Abbey. Charlotte's heart belong's to her friend Lilly's brother Edward. It is a romance that really shouldn't be, as he's an aristocrat and she's a commoner. (much more common than you might think).

As the book progresses, you see Charlotte's relationship with Edward, and how it has developed since she was Lily's governess.

I think I would have been better able to accept this story, if Charlotte would have started a relationship with Mr. Ellis from the newspaper.

Edward, who was likable, and who you felt sorry for (He lost a leg in the war and is suffering from Shell Shock) just doesn't seem like the right match for Charlotte, but somehow you know these two are destined to be together.

This was a beautifully written novel that gives a snapshot of the time "after the war is over" and how they coped with the changes in their lives.